Reaping the Full Benefits of Foreign Investment Requires ICE-Q

The nature of a multinational company (MNC) is to invest capital in markets outside of the country in which it began its operations. Typically, this business activity is called foreign direct investment (FDI). For open economies to flourish, cross-border trade is essential. Another critical factor for successful international business is ICE-Q – a combination of three essential, durable skills: subject …

The One Goal You Can Set for a Positive 2022

Around the turn of the year magazines, news outlets, social networks, blogs, podcasts, and all sorts of other media are full with ideas and tips around making New Year’s resolutions. Some of you might be aware of the dirty little secret to this culturally motivated routine of making commitments to significant, meaningful, and lasting change: More often than not this …

Why Our Delight Should Matter to You

When you search for a consultant, a coach, or a trainer, you probably are not seeking mediocrity for your organization. Right? That’s why we’re delighted to share with you a distinction our founder recently earned from one of our partners: IOR Global Services named Christian Höferle Trainer of the Year – Excellence in Innovation! How is this relevant to me, you ask? Since …

Communicating with Cultural Sensitivity in a Zoom World

We are curious about your feedback on this podcast. Allen Koski and Andrew Jernigan interviewed TCM founder Christian Höferle for their New Nomad Podcast. They talked about efficient communication in times of remote work and across cultures. Christian had a chance to share some useful tips on how to navigate the world of virtual meetings and conferences while still being …

Coaching with Cultural Competence for ICF’s International Coaching Week

Working with clients from around the globe, our trainer and coaching team is often confronted with people who don’t share the same cultural background as them. The relationships between a coach and their coachee develop quite differently when first languages aren’t the same or when the formative influences of culture are dissimilar. The International Coaching Federation recognizes this and offered …

women at the meeting

Why Cultural Intelligence is a Must-Have Power Skill for Global Business

Smart human resources professionals and savvy executive leaders know that if we want to be successful in increasingly diverse and global workplaces we need a set of power skills that too often aren’t taught in colleges, business schools, or as part of workforce development trainings. In an episode of Alchemizing HR — a webinar series hosted by HRCI, the premier …

Should You Change Your Corporate Culture?

Chances are, if you’re asking yourself this question, the answer may very well be yes. On the popular and well respected Decision Vision Podcast, hosted by Michael Blake for Brady Ware & Company, Christian Höferle is sharing some insights on corporate culture, creating cohesion with employees scattered around the world, and the importance of developing ICE-Q for global business success. In the …

What it Takes to Lead in a Multicultural, Multinational Environment

Despite the continuing trend towards more nationalistic and protectionist policies we have been seeing in many countries around the word, the interconnectedness and the interdependence of the global economy remains a reality. Cross-border business is likely to go on, no matter what the regulatory restrictions are. As a result, the need to develop leaders with a global mindset is unchanged. …

Making a Home Across the Atlantic and Back

Music industry executive Patrick Joest shares his experience of being a German-Argentinian Jew in different cultures For years he had been traveling back and forth for work between Germany and the United States. Dozens of times Patrick Joest had visited Los Angeles. When his company sent him and his family on an expatriate assignment to California, Patrick quickly realized there’s …

Why the Level of Your Global Success Depends on Your Cultural Intelligence

Are you “culture-wise”? How much effort does it take you to adjust your work style during business interactions which involve people outside of your home culture? There are many similar terms for this power skill: culture-wise, culture-savvy, intercultural readiness, […many more…] and cultural intelligence. You can, of course, work successfully at an international scale and never develop it, but you …

Toastmasters Webinar series

The “Communicating Across Cultures” Series

On the back of their cover story in the July 2020 issue of Toastmaster Magazine, the Toastmasters International organization hosted a series of panel discussions around the topic of efficient cross-cultural communication. The webinar series was a tremendous success which attracted a combined international audience of more than 5,200 attendees (with an additional 9,300 people registered to get access to …

chaps cultures identity

Exploring Identity Through the Lens of Different Cultures

The week in review with Two Chaps – Many Cultures Hard to believe that our new live video format has already seen three weeks worth of broadcast. Two Chaps – Many Cultures has been very well received within our community and a wider audience. During the daily live sessions from July 20 to 24, the two chaps (Brett and Christian) and …

Two Chaps Many Cultures

Two Chaps – Many Cultures [episode 1]

Join Brett Parry and Christian Höferle as they explore the mysteries of human behavior. No holds barred. Only straight talk about culture, human potential, and personal growth. Streaming live where possible. Taking questions from you. Including colorful and diverse voices from various corners of the world.  This is their inaugural podcast episode. Join the two chaps for a dose of …

Two Chaps Many Cultures

Talking About Cultures – live online

Necessity is the mother of invention. In times of social contact restrictions and work from home the way we present our work has been changing. In our case we would like to think the Covid-19 pandemic has made us more creative. One of the avenues we use to reach our clients and our own industry is through live content. For …

Tim Mahoney culture

Tim Mahoney’s Success Recipe for Working Across Cultures? “Human Stories, Simply Told”

The automotive marketing maven tells his cross-cultural tales of selling Porsches, Chevys, Subarus, and VWs around the globe Selling a product requires understanding the needs and desires of your potential customer. You need to recognize what problems customer have and how your product can be a solution to that problem. Sales and Marketing are professional tasks that are difficult enough …

Toastmaster bridging the gap

How Levels of Directness in Feedback Vary by Culture and Why That Matters

One of the trickiest communication challenges for global professionals is giving appropriate feedback across cultures. High versus low context messaging style and varying distribution of power and influence in a culture are among the determining factors for adjusting your feedback to different situations. TCM founder Christian Höferle recently had the opportunity to share some insights around the topic of cross-cultural …

Malcolm Ohanwe Christian Höferle

A Conversation about Identity, “Race,” White Blindspots, and Apfelschorle

How Malcolm Ohanwe shines light on inequality by nudging white folks to talk about it He works for one of Germany’s biggest public broadcasting companies, the Bayerische Rundfunk. The country today is as diverse as it has probably never been, yet when Malcolm Ohanwe stepped foot into the BR offices for the first time he “thought I entered Narnia. Everything’s …

12 minute convos

A 12 Minute Convo about Culture

In the fall of 2017 a Caribbean podcaster reached out to Christian to ask if he wanted to be a guest on his program. More than two years later, Engel Jones featured him on his podcast a second time. Born and raised on the twin island of Trinidad and Tobago, Engel loves great conversation. And he likes those chats short …

managing crisis function culture

Managing a Crisis May Very Well be a Function of Culture

The current coronavirus pandemic has caught many of us by surprise. It has caused a lot of stress, fear, confusion, and uncertainty for the future in people and businesses alike, all over the world. To face the coming challenges in the workplace and the world at large, it is critical that employees know how to respond to the psychological, social, …

Crisis Management across Cultures

Crisis Management across Cultures

By now almost every country around the world has confirmed cases of Covid-19 and chances are you are currently working from home or in spatial distance from coworkers and customers. Political, community and corporate leaders are being called upon to respond. At times like these, contrasts in styles come into full view. Which is why we think it is a …